The trouble is, you think you have time.

The true understanding is that the practice itself is enlightenment.

The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with.

The purpose of meditation is not to create a mental vacuum but to come to know one's own mind.

The Buddha's teachings are not a religion, but a science of mind.

The cultivation of loving-kindness is the thread that runs through all Buddhist teachings.

Change is the nature of every phenomenon. Accept this truth and you will live a happy life.

We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don't really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It's just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.

The more clearly you see the arising and passing of phenomena, the less you will be attached to them.

The most profound meditation is to think nothing at all.

Compassion is not just about being kind to others. It's about being kind to ourselves as well.

The path to enlightenment is not a path at all. It is a realization that where you are is where you have always been.

Enlightenment is not the end of change but the end of resistance to change.

The practitioner and practice are like fire and wood. The more you practice, the more you burn.

Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.

Birth and death are neither two things nor one thing. Life is not an appearance, death is not a disappearance.

You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself.

Wisdom and compassion must be developed equally and harmoniously.

The truth of Zen is the truth of life, and life means to live, to move, to act, not merely to reflect.

Sleep is the best meditation.

Mindfulness is attention to life, and life itself is sacred.

Mindfulness is the key to transformation. It enables us to see our experience as it really is, free from distortion and bias.

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

The mind is like a wild monkey, jumping here and there. But through meditation, we learn to see whatever arises in our mind with more spaciousness and clarity.

The teaching is simple: act with kindness and compassion. If you cannot do this, at least try not to harm others.

The best way to solve a problem is to help someone else solve their problem.

The dharma is not about collecting more beliefs but about becoming free from the power of belief itself.

We can learn to be present with whatever is happening in our lives, and in this way, we can begin to transform our relationship to difficulty.

A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we do not love it.

Live in joy, in love, even among those who hate. Live in joy, in health, even among the afflicted. Live in joy, in peace, even among the troubled. Look within, be still.

Meditation is not about getting away from it all. It's about getting into it all.

Try to be mindful and let things take their natural course. Then your mind will become still in any surroundings, like a clear forest pool.

The root of all suffering is ignorance. The antidote to ignorance is wisdom that realizes emptiness.